The Alabama women's tennis team blanked Harvard, 4-0, on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Event on the campus of Ohio State at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Crimson Tide (4-1) will square off against seventh-ranked Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday for an opportunity to clinch a berth to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.

Alabama dominated doubles play to take a 1-0 match lead going into singles play, marking the fifth-straight contest the Tide has claimed the doubles point. Junior Smith Hinton and freshman Juliana Valero tallied Alabama's first doubles win from court three, as the duo topped Jenna Friedel and Irene Hu in a 6-2 decision. Senior Erin Routliffe and freshman Maddie Pothoff clinched the doubles point from the No. 1 position, as the pair topped Erica Oosterhout and Lexi Milunovich in a 6-2 verdict.

The momentum continued to roll for the Tide in singles play, as Alabama's 86th-ranked singles player Routliffe (No. 1) picked up a quick win in straight sets against Oosterhout, 6-2, 6-2. Daniell (No. 2) registered the Tide's second singles win in straight sets, as she notched Harvard's 111st-ranked singles player Milunovich, 6-1, 6-3, to extend Alabama's match lead to 3-0. Pothoff (No. 5) went on to clinch the 4-0 match victory for the Tide, as the talented freshman collected Alabama's third singles win in straight sets over Annika Ringblom, 6-2, 6-2.

Today's victory marks the third time that Alabama has shutout an opponent this season. With a win tomorrow, Alabama will qualify for the 2017 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championships, which is held in Flushing, N.Y., from Feb. 10-13.